JBS USA
JBS USA is the U.S. arm of JBS N.V., the world's largest meatpacker, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since June 2025. It operates beef and pork processing plants across the United States under the Swift, 1855, and Cedar River Farms brands, supplying retailers, food service operators, and export markets with fresh and processed meat products.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated. Last assessed 2026-09-25. Score revised 2026-09-25: 68 → 64.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
José Batista Sobrinho founded a small slaughterhouse in Anápolis, Goiás, supplying meat to workers building Brasília, and the family grew it through regional acquisitions, including the 1970 purchase of a plant in Formosa that launched the Friboi brand. Its first big international deal, the 2005 purchase of Swift Armour in Argentina, was financed by BNDES, and Joesley Batista later told prosecutors the family paid a bribe to secure that loan. Little else is documented about harm to consumers, suppliers or workers in this period.
JBS entered the United States by buying Swift & Co. for about $1.5 billion in July 2007, then bought Smithfield Beef Group for $565 million and 64% of Pilgrim's Pride for $800 million, with Brazil's state development bank BNDES financing the expansion. The DOJ sued in October 2008 to block JBS's purchase of National Beef, and JBS dropped the deal. Pilgrim's brought JBS into poultry's tournament pay system for contract growers, and in 2010 the EEOC sued JBS Swift over harassment of Somali Muslim workers at its Greeley and Grand Island plants.
With its acquisitions absorbed, JBS operated as one of the Big Four beef packers and, through Pilgrim's Pride, a leading U.S. chicken producer. Pilgrim's later admitted fixing chicken prices from at least 2012 to 2017, class actions allege the Big Four curbed beef supply to inflate prices from 2015, and the Batistas kept paying bribes to maintain BNDES's stake in JBS through 2015. Nine beef plants closed between 2013 and 2015 as drought shrank the herd, and the December 2015 repeal of country-of-origin labeling let imported beef packed in the U.S. carry 'Product of USA' labels.
Brazil's Operation Weak Flesh raids in March 2017 accused meatpackers, JBS among them, of bribing inspectors, and in May the Batista brothers' plea bargain exposed bribes to 1,829 politicians; J&F agreed to a record $3.2 billion leniency fine, and both brothers were arrested that September. Operation Bullish probed BNDES's investments in JBS, though the officials charged were acquitted in 2023. In the U.S., JBS hired former FSIS chief Al Almanza days after he left USDA, kept captive supply through a long-term contract when it sold Five Rivers, and recalled more than 12 million pounds of beef in a 2018 Salmonella outbreak.
A COVID-19 outbreak closed the Greeley beef plant in April 2020; at least six Greeley workers died, and OSHA's fine was $15,615. Penalties followed: J&F's $256 million FCPA plea, Pilgrim's Pride's $107.9 million chicken price-fixing plea, beef and pork price-fixing settlements and a $5.5 million EEOC settlement, while a worker lost an arm and another died in a chemical vat at Greeley in 2021. A sanitation contractor was found using children to clean JBS plants, the DOJ sued Agri Stats in 2023, and an advertising watchdog had JBS drop its 'Net Zero by 2040' claims.
Shareholders returned Joesley and Wesley Batista to JBS's board in April 2024, and a dual listing giving the family about 85% of the votes reached the NYSE in June 2025, after Pilgrim's Pride gave $5 million to Trump's inaugural committee and the SEC approved the listing. Settlements kept coming, including Pilgrim's $100 million to chicken growers and JBS's $83.5 million to cattle producers, and New York's attorney general sued over JBS's net-zero advertising. JBS paid large dividends and bought back $600 million of stock in 2025 even as its U.S. beef unit slid into losses.
The White House's November 2025 call for a DOJ investigation of the Big Four opened a period of federal pressure: a December executive order, a criminal antitrust probe confirmed in May 2026, and a consent decree ending Agri Stats' sales reports. Record beef prices coincided with losses at JBS's U.S. beef unit, which closed its Souderton, Pennsylvania, plant while the parent paid a $1 billion dividend. Greeley workers struck for three weeks and won company-paid protective equipment, Haitian workers sued over recruitment and line speeds, and in August 2026 Joesley Batista met Trump a day before a tariff-free beef import plan was announced.
Alternatives
Vertically integrated regenerative farm in Georgia with its own USDA-inspected processing. Ships direct to consumers nationwide. Premium pricing and limited availability compared to grocery stores, but you know exactly where your beef comes from.
Certified B Corp subscription meat service whose 100% grass-fed beef comes mostly from Australian ranches (born, raised and harvested in Australia, cut and packed in the U.S.), with third-party animal-welfare audits on its suppliers. Easy switch: subscribe and skip the supermarket beef aisle. It costs more than conventional grocery beef, and it does not name the plants that process its Australian beef, where JBS is the largest processor, so it is not a guaranteed way to avoid the company.
Independent butchers sourcing from regional ranches bypass the Big Four entirely. Easy switch if one is nearby — ask where they source their beef. Availability and pricing vary widely by location, and not all local butchers avoid Big Four supply chains, so ask questions.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (85 events)
Tyson Acquires IBP, Cementing Big Four Consolidation
IBP shareholders approved Tyson Foods' purchase of IBP, inc., completing Tyson's acquisition of the largest U.S. beef processor. The combined company described itself as the world's leading protein provider, with about 28% of the U.S. beef market, 23% of chicken and 18% of pork. By then, according to USDA's Economic Research Service, four firms handled nearly 80% of U.S. steer and heifer slaughter, more than double the level of two decades earlier. The deal folded the biggest beef packer into a multi-protein giant and set the template of a few diversified firms dominating U.S. meatpacking that JBS would later join.
JBS Acquires Swift-Armour in Argentina, Begins International Expansion
JBS, then a privately held Brazilian slaughterhouse group, made a $200 million offer for Swift Armour SA in Argentina, its first major international acquisition. BNDES agreed to lend $80 million for the deal, and Joesley Batista later told prosecutors the family paid a 4% ($3.2 million) bribe to an associate of then-BNDES president Guido Mantega to secure it. The deal set the template for the state-financed U.S. acquisition spree that followed.
JBS Acquires Swift & Co. for $1.5 Billion
JBS S.A. completed its purchase of Swift & Company, the world's third-largest processor of fresh beef and pork, from HM Capital Partners in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. The combined JBS Swift Group became the largest beef processor in the world.
JBS Acquires Smithfield Beef Group for $565 Million
JBS agreed to buy Smithfield Foods' beef processing and cattle feeding operation, Smithfield Beef Group, for $565 million in cash. The deal included Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding, the largest cattle feedlot operation in the United States with a one-time feeding capacity of 811,000 head, with Smithfield buying out its joint-venture partner's 50% stake before closing so that JBS would own it outright. The purchase gave JBS direct control over a large captive cattle supply alongside its packing plants.
DOJ Blocks JBS Acquisition of National Beef
The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block JBS's proposed acquisition of National Beef Packing Company, the fourth-largest U.S. beef packer. DOJ argued the merger would place over 80% of domestic fed cattle packing capacity in three firms. JBS abandoned the deal, marking the only time federal regulators successfully stopped its expansion.
Greenpeace 'Slaughtering the Amazon' Report Exposes JBS Deforestation
Greenpeace International published 'Slaughtering the Amazon,' revealing that JBS and other Brazilian cattle companies were linked to hundreds of ranches associated with illegal deforestation, slave labor, and occupation of Indigenous lands. JBS subsequently signed the G4 Cattle Agreement pledging to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain, but investigations over the following decade found widespread non-compliance.
JBS Acquires 64% of Pilgrim's Pride for $800 Million
JBS agreed to buy a 64% stake in Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, then the second-largest U.S. chicken producer, for $800 million in cash as Pilgrim's emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The deal took JBS into poultry, making it a direct competitor to Tyson in beef, pork and chicken, and brought it into the industry's tournament pay system for contract growers, who finance their own chicken houses while the integrator controls birds and feed. A single modern chicken house costs about $350,000 to $400,000 and an efficient four-house farm $1.5 million or more, mostly debt-financed, according to a 2022 analysis by former USDA economist James MacDonald.
BNDES Converts $2 Billion in JBS Debentures Under Corrupt Terms
BNDES bought 3.4 billion reais (about $2 billion) in JBS notes meant to convert into shares of JBS USA at a planned IPO, helping finance the Pilgrim's Pride acquisition. When JBS did not carry out the share sale, BNDES converted the debt into shares of the Brazilian parent at a premium that cost the bank 267 million reais, according to Brazil's federal audit court, and it waived a 345 million-real penalty JBS was contractually obliged to pay. The Batistas later admitted paying bribes to then-Finance Minister Guido Mantega's circle for BNDES support.
EEOC Sues JBS Swift Over Harassment of Somali Muslim Workers
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed two federal lawsuits alleging that JBS USA, doing business as JBS Swift & Company, created a hostile work environment for Somali and Muslim employees at its Greeley, Colorado, and Grand Island, Nebraska, plants, including supervisors and coworkers throwing blood, meat and bones at them, and refused to let them pray. The suits also alleged JBS fired workers who asked to move their evening break during Ramadan. The EEOC had received 168 discrimination charges from the two plants in 2008.
Pilgrim's Pride Chicken Price-Fixing Conspiracy Begins
According to the DOJ criminal case, Pilgrim's Pride participated in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products beginning in at least 2012 and continuing through 2017. The scheme affected at least $361 million in Pilgrim's chicken sales and ultimately resulted in a $107.9 million criminal fine when Pilgrim's pleaded guilty in February 2021.
Nine Processing Plants Close in Two Years, Reducing Regional Options
Nine beef processing plants closed between early 2013 and late 2015, including Cargill's Plainview, Texas, plant (4,650 head per day), the largest to close, in February 2013. Total lost daily capacity was 14,850 head, or 3.7 million a year, as drought shrank the cattle herd. The closures concentrated processing in fewer, larger plants, reducing the number of potential buyers in regional cattle markets.
Batista Family Continues BNDES Bribery Through 2015
According to the SEC enforcement action and DOJ plea agreement, J&F and the Batistas continued paying bribes totaling $150 million to a BNDES Finance Minister from 2009 through 2015 to maintain the bank's large equity investment in JBS. The ongoing corruption enriched the Batista family while JBS used the artificially obtained financing to fund further acquisitions and dividend payments, all while the scheme remained hidden from regulators and investors.
Greeley Worker Killed in Unguarded Conveyor; OSHA Cites Repeat Violation
A 54-year-old worker at JBS's Greeley, Colorado, beef plant was killed in June 2014 when his hair and arm were caught in an unguarded conveyor. OSHA found JBS USA had failed to guard or de-energize the equipment and cited it for a repeated machine-guarding violation, since the plant had been cited for a similar hazard in a 2010 final order, plus a serious lockout violation, with proposed penalties of $45,500.
Alleged Beef Price-Fixing Conspiracy Period Begins
According to class-action antitrust claims, JBS and the other Big Four packers conspired from at least January 2015 to curb beef supply and inflate prices, including by limiting slaughter and depressing prices paid for cattle. JBS has called the claims meritless but settled with three plaintiff groups for a combined $161.5 million ($52.5 million to direct purchasers, $25 million to commercial and institutional buyers, and $83.5 million to cattle producers and futures traders).
Congress Repeals COOL for Beef and Pork, Enabling 'Product of USA' Deception
Congress repealed mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork after Canada and Mexico threatened more than $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs. The repeal left a loophole allowing beef from animals born, raised and slaughtered abroad to carry 'Product of USA' labels if packaged in the United States. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which represents major packers, had fought COOL. USDA's 2024 rule closing the loophole for voluntary labels does not take effect until 2026.
Operation Weak Flesh Exposes Rotten Meat and Inspector Bribery
Brazilian Federal Police launched Operation Weak Flesh (Carne Fraca), described by Exame as the largest operation in the force's history, with more than 1,100 officers carrying out nearly 200 raids on meatpackers accused of bribing agriculture ministry inspectors to approve adulterated and expired meat. JBS was among the companies accused of bribing officials, though it denied that any of its brands used adulterated product. The ministry suspended 33 officials, and the European Commission moved to suspend implicated plants from exporting to the EU. Within days China, the EU, South Korea and Chile curtailed Brazilian meat imports, with China suspending all Brazilian meat imports as a precaution.
Operation Bullish Investigates Fraudulent BNDES Loans to JBS
Brazilian Federal Police launched Operation Bullish, searching the homes of Joesley and Wesley Batista for evidence of fraud and irregularities in investments that state bank BNDES made in JBS to fund its acquisition spree. The roughly R$8 billion in support ran through BNDESPar from 2007 to 2011, and the irregularities cited included buying JBS shares above market prices without requiring due guarantees, according to Exame. Investigators said the transactions led to about 1.2 billion reais in losses for the bank. JBS said the financing was lawful.
Batista Plea Deal Exposes Bribes to 1,829 Politicians; J&F Agrees to $3.2B Leniency Fine
Joesley and Wesley Batista's plea bargain became public, with JBS executives admitting to bribes to Brazilian politicians; testimony cited kickbacks to 1,829 politicians, and Joesley Batista had secretly recorded President Michel Temer in an apparent discussion of bribes. Days later their holding company, J&F Investimentos, agreed to a record $3.2 billion leniency fine payable over 25 years, the largest ever levied by Brazilian prosecutors.
JBS Hires Former FSIS Chief Al Almanza as Food Safety Head
JBS named Al Almanza, who had led USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service as administrator or acting administrator for a decade and since 2014 was also Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, as its Global Head of Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Almanza joined JBS days after retiring from USDA at the end of July 2017, reporting directly to JBS global president of operations Gilberto Tomazoni. The appointment is a clear revolving-door case in the meatpacking industry.
Batista Brothers Arrested on Insider Trading Charges
Four months after their plea deal, Joesley Batista was arrested for allegedly withholding information from prosecutors, and Wesley Batista was then arrested on suspicion of insider trading, with the warrant covering both brothers. Prosecutors suspected they sold JBS shares and bought foreign currency while negotiating the plea deal, knowing its disclosure would hit both.
JBS Sells Five Rivers Feedlots but Retains Captive Supply Contract
JBS sold its Five Rivers Cattle Feeding feedlot operations to Pinnacle Asset Management for approximately $200 million, but simultaneously signed a long-term contract requiring Pinnacle to supply cattle to JBS in North America. The arrangement maintained JBS's captive supply model while divesting the capital-intensive feedlot assets, ensuring continued control over cattle pricing without ownership risk.
JBS Recalls 12 Million Pounds of Beef in Salmonella Outbreak
JBS Tolleson in Arizona recalled about 7 million pounds of raw beef in October over a Salmonella Newport outbreak and expanded the recall in December to more than 12 million pounds, one of the largest beef recalls in U.S. history. At least 246 people in 25 states were sickened. The recall came a year after JBS hired former FSIS chief Al Almanza as its Global Head of Food Safety.
USDA Eliminates Pork Line Speed Caps Under NSIS Rule
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service published its final New Swine Inspection System rule, an optional inspection system for market hog plants that revoked the existing maximum line speed of 1,106 head per hour for participating plants and shifted some inspection tasks to plant employees. Consumer advocates and Democrats warned it would endanger slaughterhouse workers and weaken food safety; Rep. Rosa DeLauro said it put multinational meat processors' interests first.
COVID-19 Outbreak Closes JBS Greeley Beef Plant
JBS partially closed its Greeley, Colorado, beef plant on April 11, 2020 after Weld County health officials cited workers' close proximity and employees working while sick as factors in a COVID-19 outbreak. At least 102 workers had tested positive and four had died by the time it reopened on April 24 after a two-week disinfection; the first known death, a 78-year-old employee, came April 7. The union said workers stood 'elbow to elbow' on the line.
Trump Signs Executive Order Keeping Meatpacking Plants Open During COVID
President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to keep meatpacking plants operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. ProPublica later revealed that a week earlier the North American Meat Institute had sent USDA a draft executive order with striking similarities to the one signed. At JBS's Greeley, Colorado, plant, six workers died and nearly 300 were infected. By September 2020, ProPublica counted more than 43,000 cases and at least 195 deaths among meatpacking employees nationwide.
Pilgrim's Pride CEO Jayson Penn Indicted for Chicken Price-Fixing
A federal grand jury indicted Pilgrim's Pride CEO Jayson Penn and three other poultry executives for conspiring to fix prices for broiler chickens from 2012 through at least 2017. Penn took an immediate paid leave of absence. The indictment cited executives' text messages and emails coordinating pricing decisions, carrying a potential sentence of 10 years in prison and $1 million fine.
JBS Shutters Western Lamb Processor, Devastating Ranch Economy
JBS won the bankruptcy auction for Mountain States Rosen, the western U.S.'s primary lamb processing facility in Greeley, Colorado, which processed up to one-fifth of all U.S. lamb. Rather than continuing operations, JBS's closure of the facility left few remaining lamb processors and was described as potentially 'devastating' to the ranch economy, further consolidating the company's control over regional processing options.
OSHA Fines JBS $15,615 for COVID Deaths at Greeley Plant
OSHA cited JBS for failing to protect employees from COVID-19 at its Greeley, Colorado plant where at least 6 workers died and nearly 300 were infected. The $15,615 fine — the statutory maximum — amounted to roughly $2,600 per worker death. The penalty was widely condemned as emblematic of OSHA's inability to hold meatpackers accountable for worker safety.
J&F Pays $256 Million U.S. Criminal Penalty for FCPA Violations
J&F Investimentos pleaded guilty and agreed to pay more than $256 million in criminal fines for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Between 2005 and 2017, J&F paid millions in bribes to Brazilian government officials through New York bank accounts to obtain financing from state-controlled banks and approval for mergers. The penalty confirmed that JBS's U.S. expansion was built on a foundation of corruption.
JBS Worker Loses Arm in Conveyor Belt at Greeley Plant
A worker at JBS's Greeley beef plant had his left arm amputated after his smock sleeve became tangled in a conveyor belt's sprockets while cleaning the equipment. OSHA issued five citations and fines totaling $174,566. The incident occurred less than a year after the COVID-19 deaths at the same facility, underscoring systemic safety failures.
Pilgrim's Pride Pleads Guilty to Chicken Price-Fixing, Pays $107.9M
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products from at least 2012 through 2017, paying a $107.9 million criminal fine. Pilgrim's was the first company to plead guilty in the DOJ's ongoing chicken price-fixing investigation, which affected at least $361 million in Pilgrim's broiler sales.
JBS Worker Dies After Falling into Chemical Vat
Jonathan Duerst, 55, died at JBS's Greeley Swift Beef plant while installing a paddlewheel over a chemical vat used to process animal hides. The equipment dropped, causing Duerst to fall into the vat of caustic chemicals. OSHA cited JBS for eight serious safety violations and fined the company just $58,709 — less than $60,000 for a preventable worker death.
JBS Hit by Ransomware Attack, Pays $11 Million Ransom
JBS suffered a ransomware attack by REvil, a Russian-speaking hacker gang, that shut down meat plants across the U.S. and Australia for at least a day and disrupted its Canadian beef plant. JBS paid the hackers about $11 million, saying most facilities were already running again but that it paid to avoid unforeseen issues and ensure no data was exfiltrated.
JBS Pays $5.5 Million to Settle EEOC Discrimination Suit
JBS USA agreed to pay up to $5.5 million to about 300 employees to settle the EEOC's 2010 suit alleging it discriminated against Muslim, Somali and Black workers at its Greeley plant, including blocking prayer and shutting off water fountains during Ramadan in 2008. JBS admitted no liability but agreed to rehire eligibility, updated anti-discrimination policies, a 24-hour hotline and prayer spaces other than bathrooms.
JBS Settles With OSHA Over COVID-19 Protections at Seven Plants
Four JBS Foods USA subsidiaries agreed with OSHA to have company and third-party experts, including ones recommended by OSHA and the UFCW, develop an infectious disease preparedness plan for seven meat plants. OSHA had cited the Greeley and Green Bay plants after 2020 inspections; by mid-2020 the Greeley outbreak had led to five deaths and 290 confirmed cases, and Green Bay to two deaths and 357 cases.
JBS Pays $20M to Settle Consumer Pork Price-Fixing Claims
JBS paid $20 million to settle consumer allegations in the pork price-fixing case, adding to earlier settlements of $12.75 million to commercial purchasers and $24.5 million to direct purchasers. The total pork price-fixing settlements from JBS reached $57.25 million, with the company exiting the litigation while cooperating against remaining co-defendants including Hormel.
DOJ Opens Civil Investigation into Pilgrim's Pride Grower Payments
Pilgrim's Pride disclosed in an SEC filing that the U.S. Department of Justice had opened a civil investigation into how poultry producers pay contract growers who raise their chickens. The tournament pay system, which pits growers against each other while the integrator controls all inputs, has long been criticized for transferring all capital risk to farmers while suppressing their earnings.
PSSI Fined $1.5M for Child Labor at JBS and Other Plants
Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI) was fined $1.5 million by the Department of Labor for employing at least 102 children aged 13-17 on overnight sanitation shifts at 13 meat plants in eight states. Fifty-three of the children cleaned JBS facilities in Colorado, Minnesota and Nebraska, doing hazardous work such as cleaning razor-sharp saws with caustic chemicals. DOL did not charge the meat companies, but JBS ended its contract with PSSI.
Brazilian Court Acquits Officials Charged Over BNDES Loans to JBS
A federal judge in Brasília acquitted former finance minister Guido Mantega, former BNDES president Luciano Coutinho and Leonardo Mantega in the Operation Bullish case over alleged fraud in BNDES investments that favored JBS's parent group, finding no evidence to convict and criticizing prosecutors for relying only on Joesley Batista's plea testimony. The bribery J&F admitted in its 2020 U.S. plea was not at issue.
Warren and Raskin Urge USDA to Debar JBS After $115M in Contracts Since Guilty Pleas
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jamie Raskin urged USDA to start suspension and debarment proceedings against JBS USA and Pilgrim's Pride, noting that J&F and its subsidiaries faced at least $3.4 billion in fines and penalties in the U.S. and Brazil. Despite that record, USDA had awarded JBS and Pilgrim's Pride nutrition-assistance, school-meal and food-bank contracts worth over $115 million collectively since their guilty pleas.
JBS Pays $25M in Second Beef Price-Fixing Settlement
JBS agreed to pay $25 million to settle claims from commercial and institutional indirect purchasers that it conspired with other packers to limit beef supply and fix prices from at least 2015. It was JBS's second settlement in the beef antitrust litigation, after a $52.5 million deal with direct purchasers in 2022. JBS did not admit wrongdoing.
DHS Records Reveal JBS's 'Unusually Poor' Cybersecurity Before Attack
Internal Department of Homeland Security records obtained by Iowa Capital Dispatch showed JBS's cybersecurity was unusually poor before the May 2021 REvil ransomware attack, which ended when JBS paid an $11 million ransom. Cybersecurity experts said JBS was poorly protected compared with similar companies.
Ad Watchdog Has JBS Drop Unsupported 'Net Zero by 2040' Claims
The National Advertising Review Board affirmed a National Advertising Division finding that JBS could not support ad claims such as 'JBS is committing to be net zero by 2040' and 'Bacon, chicken wings and steak with net zero emissions. It's possible.' JBS said it disagreed with how the bodies read consumer perception but agreed to discontinue the claims. The challenge was brought by the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy.
Global Witness Warns Investors of Batista 85% Voting Control Plan
Global Witness and 15 civil society groups warned more than 200 investors that JBS's proposed dual-listing restructure would hand about 85% of voting rights to the Batista family, up from their 48.8% voting entitlement as of August 2023. The plan would also set up a new parent company in the Netherlands, concentrating control in a family with a record of corruption.
DOJ Sues Agri Stats for Anticompetitive Information Exchanges
The DOJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Agri Stats for organizing and managing information exchanges among broiler chicken, pork, and turkey processors. Participating processors accounted for 90%+ of broiler, 80%+ of pork, and 90%+ of turkey sales. The DOJ alleged JBS regularly used Agri Stats data to identify products sold 'below the national average price' and instructed sales teams to raise prices accordingly.
Four States Join DOJ Agri Stats Antitrust Suit
Minnesota, California, North Carolina and Tennessee joined the DOJ's civil antitrust lawsuit against Agri Stats through an amended complaint (Texas and Utah followed later in November). The complaint alleges Agri Stats ran information exchanges that let broiler chicken, pork and turkey processors, including JBS, use shared granular data on prices, costs and output to set prices and output, while withholding the reports from purchasers, workers and consumers.
Brazil Supreme Court Justice Suspends J&F Leniency Fine at Its Request
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli suspended payments under J&F's 2017 leniency agreement, a fine of about $2.1 billion, after the Batista family holding company argued prosecutors had been biased. Toffoli cited 'reasonable doubt' over whether J&F entered the deal voluntarily. J&F had reportedly paid about $593 million of the fine.
New York Attorney General Sues JBS USA Over Net-Zero Advertising
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued JBS USA in state court, alleging the company misled consumers with major advertising campaigns claiming it would reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 while having no viable plan to do so and planning to increase production. The suit sought to halt the campaign and penalties of $5,000 per violation, and noted JBS kept touting the claim on its website after agreeing in 2023 to pull similar ads.
USDA Implements New Country-of-Origin Labeling Rules
USDA finalized new rules requiring that only beef born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S. can carry the 'Product of USA' label. The rule change directly addressed the longstanding practice — exploited by JBS and other Big Four packers — of labeling imported beef slaughtered domestically as American-made, which is now subject to consolidated class-action lawsuits alleging consumer deception.
Batista Brothers Reinstated to JBS Board Despite Corruption Record
JBS shareholders voted Joesley and Wesley Batista back onto the company's board of directors despite their 2017 plea-bargain admissions of bribing 1,829 politicians and J&F Investimentos' $3.2 billion leniency fine. The reinstatement, combined with the dual-listing restructure that would give the Batista family about 85% of voting rights (up from 48.8%), signaled the family's full return to control of JBS governance.
USDA Finds Antibiotics in JBS Beef Labeled 'Raised Without Antibiotics'
Federal inspectors found monensin — an antibiotic banned in the EU as a growth promoter — in cattle carcasses at JBS's Swift Beef Company plant in Greeley, Colorado. Twenty percent of sampled beef under the 'raised without antibiotics' label tested positive for antibiotics. Despite the findings, USDA took no public enforcement action, continuing to approve the label without requiring verification testing.
Pilgrim's Pride Pays $100M in Largest Protein Antitrust Settlement
Pilgrim's Pride agreed to pay $100 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it conspired to suppress compensation paid to broiler farmers nationwide, representing the largest settlement in protein industry history. Combined with the 2021 criminal fine of $107.9 million and a $75 million settlement to direct chicken purchasers, Pilgrim's Pride had paid over $282 million in poultry-related antitrust penalties.
USDA Seeks Comment on Fed Cattle Price Discovery Rule
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on price discovery and competition in fed cattle markets, seeking comment on regulatory options. The notice said cash negotiations had fallen from about 55% of packer cattle purchases in 2005 to about 20% by March 2021, while formula agreements rose to 65%, with cash shares far lower in some regions. No final rule followed.
Pilgrim's Pride Donates $5M to Trump Inaugural — Largest Single Donor
Pilgrim's Pride, JBS's U.S. poultry subsidiary, gave $5 million to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, the largest single donation, more than the contributions of Apple's CEO plus Amazon, Meta and Google combined. The donation came while its companies faced several ongoing federal investigations. About three months later the SEC approved JBS's NYSE dual listing, and Senator Warren questioned whether the donation bought favorable treatment.
JBS Pays $83.5M in Third Beef Price-Fixing Settlement
JBS agreed to pay $83.5 million to settle antitrust claims from cattle producers who sold to JBS between 2015 and 2020 and from live-cattle futures traders, who alleged it conspired with other packers to curb beef supply and inflate prices. JBS called the claims meritless. It was JBS's third settlement in the litigation, after a combined $78 million to direct purchasers ($52.5 million) and commercial buyers ($25 million), bringing its beef price-fixing settlements to $161.5 million.
JBS Posts Record $77.2 Billion Revenue While Consumer Prices Surge
JBS S.A. reported record net revenue of $77.2 billion for 2024, up 6%, with adjusted EBITDA of $7.2 billion, more than double the year before. North American beef margins remained under pressure from the cattle cycle, while chicken and pork drove profits. The record results came as JBS was settling multiple price-fixing lawsuits.
SEC Approves JBS NYSE Dual Listing; Global Witness Calls It a 'Deep Failure'
The SEC approved JBS's application to dual-list on the New York Stock Exchange despite the company's ties to deforestation, human rights abuses and corruption. Global Witness called the approval a deep failure of U.S. financial regulation, noting J&F's record $3.2 billion corruption fine from 2017, now suspended.
Senator Warren Probes JBS Inaugural Donation for Corruption
Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the CEOs of Pilgrim's Pride and JBS USA asking whether the $5 million inaugural donation was made to curry favor with the Trump administration. She noted the companies faced several ongoing federal investigations and that the SEC approved JBS's NYSE listing just months after the donation, raising concerns about a potential quid-pro-quo arrangement.
JBS Launches Buyback That Grows to $600 Million
JBS N.V.'s board authorized a repurchase of up to $400 million of Class A shares and Brazilian depositary receipts starting August 18, 2025, expanded it by $200 million on October 14, and concluded it on November 10, 2025 after buying back 41,008,292 shares for $600 million. The buyback ran while JBS's U.S. beef business was posting losses amid the cattle shortage.
Whistleblower Alleges JBS Falsified Safety Training Records
A lawsuit by a former JBS safety instructor at the Greeley plant alleged that supervisors pressured instructors to falsify safety training records, including taking workers' tests for them, so employees could get onto production lines faster. It said training was held in only a handful of languages although more than 30 dialects are spoken at the plant. JBS denied the allegations in court filings.
JBS USA Pays $1.1 Million to Settle New York Greenwashing Suit
New York's attorney general announced a $1.1 million settlement with JBS USA over its 'net zero by 2040' advertising, which her office said had no plan behind it. JBS USA agreed to reform its environmental marketing and report annually to the attorney general for three years; the money funds climate-smart agriculture programs for New York farmers.
Trump Calls for DOJ Investigation into Meatpacking 'Cartels'
President Trump directed the Department of Justice to investigate the Big Four meatpackers — JBS, Cargill, Tyson, and National Beef — for 'potential collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation,' specifically calling out 'foreign-owned meat packing cartels.' The statement noted the Big Four control 85% of U.S. beef processing, up from 36% in 1980.
Trump Executive Order Directs DOJ/FTC Antitrust Task Forces on Food Supply
President Trump issued an executive order directing DOJ and the FTC to each set up task forces to investigate anticompetitive behavior or foreign influence in the food supply chain, with meat processing called out for particular scrutiny. The agencies must brief congressional leadership within six months and again within a year and recommend legislative actions. The order followed the White House's November statement attacking 'foreign-owned meat packing cartels.'
JBS Closes Riverside California Beef Plant
JBS said it would permanently close its Swift Beef case-ready facility in Riverside, California, on February 2, 2026, eliminating 374 jobs. The plant prepares beef for grocery meat cases but does not slaughter cattle; JBS called the closure part of a strategy to simplify its case-ready network and said it was not caused by low cattle supplies, which have raised costs for meatpackers.
Over 1,000 Haitian Workers Sue JBS Over Recruitment and Greeley Conditions
Haitian workers filed a class action on behalf of more than 1,000 Haitians who worked at JBS's Greeley beef plant after November 1, 2023, alleging JBS recruited them with false promises, then subjected them to discriminatory, unsafe working conditions and poor housing. The suit says JBS targeted Haitians with humanitarian parole or Temporary Protected Status as a vulnerable workforce. JBS had not commented publicly.
JBS Benefits from Trump Policy Changes on Worker Safety
Colorado Newsline reported that JBS, the largest single donor to Trump's inauguration through Pilgrim's Pride, was benefiting from policy changes under the new administration that raised worker safety concerns. The reporting connected the $5 million inaugural donation to subsequent regulatory shifts favorable to the meatpacking industry, including proposed USDA rules to increase line speeds.
JBS Greeley Workers Vote 99% to Authorize Historic Strike
Unionized workers at JBS's Greeley beef plant voted 99% to authorize a strike over unfair labor practices. UFCW Local 7 represents nearly 3,800 workers at the plant, and the union accused JBS of speeding up the line from 390 to 420 animals per hour while cutting hours and creating unsafe conditions. The vote followed COVID deaths, a fatal chemical-vat accident and alleged falsification of safety training at the same facility.
Record Beef Prices Coincide With JBS Beef Losses
Ground beef reached a record $6.69 per pound in December 2025, up 72% since 2020, as the U.S. cattle herd fell to 86.2 million head, its lowest since 1951, and screwworm border closures cut off Mexican feeder cattle. Farm-level cattle prices rose 20.8% in 2025 against 13.9% for wholesale beef, and JBS's North American beef operation lost $293 million in Q2 2025, as packers absorbed losses rather than widening margins.
Meatpacker Wage-Fixing Settlements, Including JBS's $55M, Await Final Approval
Settlements totaling about $202.7 million in Brown v. JBS USA Food Co., a class action alleging that beef and pork processors including JBS, Tyson, Cargill, Hormel and National Beef shared confidential wage data, entered no-poach agreements and coordinated to suppress pay for plant workers from 2000 to February 2024, were pending final approval in federal court in Colorado. JBS USA Food Company's share is $55 million; Smithfield is still litigating. The final approval hearing, first set for June 4, 2026, was pushed back as more companies settled. All defendants deny wrongdoing.
USDA Penalizes JBS for Weighing Hogs on Untested Scales
USDA entered a stipulation agreement with JBS USA Food Company and Swift Pork Company resolving an alleged Packers and Stockyards Act violation: JBS last submitted a scale test report in May 2024 but kept weighing hog carcasses to set sale prices through 2024 and 2025. JBS waived a hearing, paid a $5,000 civil penalty and filed a new test report on January 30, 2026.
Nearly 4,000 JBS Greeley Workers Launch Historic Three-Week Strike
Workers at JBS's Greeley, Colorado, beef plant walked off the job on March 16, 2026, the U.S. meatpacking industry's first major strike in 40 years and the first ever at the plant. UFCW Local 7 cited unfair labor practices and JBS's practice of charging workers up to $1,100 for protective equipment and garnishing wages to replace lost or damaged gear. About 3,800 largely immigrant workers struck for three weeks.
Mighty Earth's Net-Zero Deception Suit Against JBS USA Cleared to Proceed
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates remanded Mighty Earth's October 2025 lawsuit against JBS USA to D.C. Superior Court, finding the group could sue as a public interest organization on behalf of D.C. consumers. The suit alleges JBS USA's 'net zero by 2040' claims are false because the company has committed to cut only about 3% of its total emissions and ignores deforestation-linked emissions.
JBS Reports Record $86 Billion Revenue and $2 Billion 2025 Profit
JBS reported record 2025 net revenue of about $86 billion, up 12%, net income of $2 billion and a 25% return on equity, driven by Pilgrim's Pride, JBS Australia and Seara. JBS Beef North America posted record revenue of $28 billion while facing historically high cattle prices from the smallest U.S. herd in 75 years and restricted Mexican cattle imports.
JBS Concedes to Striking Workers, Agrees to Pay for PPE
JBS Greeley workers ratified a new two-year contract by a 93% vote, ending the three-week strike. JBS agreed to pay for personal protective equipment and reimburse workers whose wages had been garnished to cover replacement gear. Workers won a 70-cent hourly raise starting in July and 40 cents in each of the following two years, 10 cents an hour more than JBS's pre-strike offer, plus capped health-care costs.
DOJ Antitrust Probe of Big Four Beef Packers Goes Criminal
The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation in recent months into whether the Big Four beef packers (JBS, Cargill, Tyson and National Beef) reached illegal agreements over how they buy cattle from ranchers, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported. The probe runs alongside a separate civil DOJ investigation and follows Trump's November 2025 demand for an inquiry. A JBS spokeswoman said the company was not aware of any criminal investigation involving it.
Workers at JBS's Denver Processing Plant Authorize Strike
Less than two weeks after the Greeley strike ended, 97% of workers at JBS-owned Denver Processing, which supplies Kroger stores, voted to authorize a strike. UFCW Local 7 accused the company of bad-faith bargaining, ignoring safety and scheduling proposals and disciplining committee members who attended bargaining sessions; JBS said it had offered meaningful raises and a bonus.
Acting AG Confirms Criminal Antitrust Probe, Solicits Whistleblowers
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed at a May 4, 2026 press conference that DOJ is investigating potential antitrust violations in cattle and beef markets, with civil and criminal inquiries able to run in parallel. DOJ had reviewed more than 3 million documents and interviewed industry participants about the four largest processors, which control more than 85% of the U.S. market. Blanche urged insiders to report price-fixing, bid-rigging or market allocation, saying whistleblowers can receive 15-30% of criminal penalties over $1 million.
DOJ Settlement Ends Agri Stats Sales Reports Used by JBS and Rivals
The Justice Department and six states filed a proposed settlement requiring Agri Stats to stop providing sales reports and non-public pricing data, stop reporting company- or plant-level production, cost and labor data, offer most of its data to meat buyers on non-discriminatory terms and report to a court-approved monitor. The DOJ said the one-sided exchange among processors had suppressed competition and raised prices for decades. A Minnesota federal court granted final approval on September 11, 2026.
JBS Rebuffs Greenpeace Climate Demand Ahead of Dutch Lawsuit
Greenpeace Netherlands sent JBS a letter, the first step toward a lawsuit under Dutch law where JBS is now incorporated, alleging its climate impacts and a planned $2.5 billion beef expansion in Nigeria breach its duty of care to people and the planet, and requesting details of the Nigeria plans. In a response dated May 21, 2026, JBS declined to provide the information, saying it complies with laws and is well positioned to support food security.
JBS Closes Souderton Beef Plant and Memphis Facility
JBS USA announced it will close its beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, which employed about 1,700 people and could slaughter about 2,000 cattle a day, and its Empire Packing case-ready plant in Memphis, which employed about 200. A WARN notice put Souderton layoffs at 1,485, effective August 14, 2026. JBS called the moves part of a modernization strategy; an Oklahoma State economist said regional impacts in the isolated Northeast market could be serious.
Judge Recommends Haitian Workers' Suit Against JBS Proceed
U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter recommended denying JBS USA's motion to dismiss the Haitian workers' class action and denied its motion to strike class allegations. He found plausible claims that JBS USA and Swift Beef were joint employers, that a mostly Haitian 'B-Shift' ran at faster line speeds, and that recruitment, transport and housing charges may have pushed pay below minimum wage.
JBS Agrees to Pay About C$7.5 Million in Canadian Beef Price-Fixing Cases
Class counsel announced that JBS entities, including JBS USA Food Company, Swift Beef and JBS Canada, agreed to pay $7,498,700 to settle Canadian class actions alleging a conspiracy over the supply or price of beef sold in Canada; National Beef agreed to pay $495,000. JBS called the claims without merit. The settlements need court approval.
JBS Agrees to $31 Million Settlement Over Pilgrim's Pride Dividends
JBS said it will pay $31 million to end Delaware Chancery Court shareholder litigation alleging that JBS and its allies on the Pilgrim's Pride board blocked shareholder distributions for two years until charter changes produced significant tax savings for JBS on dividends. The settlement needs court approval.
JBS Pays $1 Billion Dividend in Quarter of Net Loss and Plant Closures
JBS reported a Q2 2026 net loss of $102 million on record sales of $23.9 billion, with $133 million in antitrust settlement charges among its adjustments, and said it returned value to shareholders through a $1 billion dividend payment during the quarter. Beef North America stayed under pressure as cattle prices outpaced cutout values; the company closed its Souderton and Memphis plants and merged its beef units into one.
JBS Co-Owner Meets Trump a Day Before Tariff-Free Beef Import Plan
Joesley Batista met President Trump in the Oval Office on August 20, 2026 and discussed lifting a 26% import duty on Brazilian beef, the Wall Street Journal reported. The next day Trump announced a 90-day pause allowing up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef in tariff-free, easing access for Brazilian beef while JBS was under DOJ antitrust investigation. Cattle futures fell sharply and ranchers protested.
Evidence (72 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (9 entries)
Checked 3 alternatives. ButcherBox: removed unverifiable 'outside the Big Four supply chain' and 'comparable to Whole Foods pricing'; beef is mostly Australian with undisclosed processors, and JBS is Australia's largest processor. White Oak Pastures: on-farm USDA-inspected abattoirs and nationwide shipping confirmed. LocalHarvest link live; local-butcher entry kept.
Checked 13 removed/trimmed claims: 1 restored, 6 partly restored, 6 confirmed removed, 0 already present. Restored: Weak Flesh 'largest PF operation' (Exame) and China/EU/S. Korea/Chile import curbs (CNBC). Partly: IBP-era ~80% four-firm concentration (USDA ERS AER-785); Five Rivers 811,000-head capacity (Smithfield SEC release, url switched); chicken-house costs (Regulatory Review 2022); Bullish share purchases without due guarantees, R$8bn (Exame); Salmonella Newport serotype (FSIS); NSIS 1,106 hph cap (Federal Register 2026). Confirmed removed: 2000 forced-labor item (CPT 25,000 figure real per TSLN, but JBS link unsupported and 55,000 contradicted); 1999-2008 beef price/ERS claim (BLS 1999 price $1.45, not $1.89); checkoff '2017 USDA assessment'; ransomware 'one-fifth of global meat' (BBC: a fifth of US production); JBS lobbying against cash minimums; $759M dividend/DOJ evidence title.
Checked 117 items + prose. 47 verified, 45 corrected (12 date-only), 22 re-sourced, 3 removed. Invented: ERS-attributed ground-beef price figures and finding (timeline[8], removed); a '2017 USDA assessment' that checkoff benefits flow to processors (timeline[21], removed). Other major fixes: fed cattle 'final rule' was an ANPR; Agri Stats states/date wrong; $25M beef settlement was second, not first; donation 'six months' before SEC approval (was ~3); Batistas 'convicted' (plea bargain); EO 'foreign-owned cartels' misattributed; BNDES loans 'found fraudulent' (Bullish defendants acquitted); dividend double count; many wrong dates; parentCompany now JBS N.V.
Since Feb 2026: DOJ criminal probe of Big Four cattle buying (Apr-May 2026); Agri Stats consent decree filed May 7 and approved Sep 11, 2026; Greeley three-week strike ended with paid PPE and raises; Denver strike vote; Haitian workers' class action (Dec 2025) survived a dismissal recommendation; JBS beef unit losses amid record beef prices; Souderton and Memphis plants closed (~1,500 layoffs) while JBS paid a $1B dividend and booked $133M antitrust charges; $31M Pilgrim's dividend-case settlement; C$7.5M Canadian beef settlement; Mighty Earth net-zero suit remanded to D.C. court; Joesley Batista met Trump on Aug 20, 2026, a day before a tariff-free beef import plan. 68->64. D1 6->5 (correction: fact audit removed invented ERS price figures and softened the monensin/'human-grade antibiotics' claims; the 2025-26 price surge tracks the herd shortage, with JBS's beef unit losing money). D2 8->7 (recalibration: record cattle prices and negative packer spreads in 2025-26 don't fit the extreme-spread criteria; structural concentration, formula pricing and tournament system keep it at 7). D5 7->6 (event: Agri Stats consent decree ends sales reports and opens data to buyers). D8 9->8 (recalibration: one of four large packers with settlements, a subsidiary's guilty plea and an open DOJ probe fits 8; 9 implies near-monopoly). D3, D4, D6, D7, D9, D10 confirmed (D10 strengthened by the Batista-Trump meeting). Eras: 'BNDES Acquisition Spree' re-dated 2007-07-01->2007-07-12 (Swift acquisition); 'Corruption Exposed' re-dated 2017-05-01->2017-03-17 (Operation Weak Flesh); 'Pandemic Exploitation' re-dated 2020-04-01->2020-04-11 (Greeley COVID closure) and relabeled 'Pandemic & Penalties'; 'Political Extraction' re-dated 2024-04-01->2024-04-26 (Batista reinstatement) and relabeled 'Batista Return & NYSE'; current 'Regulatory Scrutiny' re-dated 2026-02-17->2025-11-07 (White House call for DOJ investigation); 'Family Meatpacker' and 'Market Dominance' kept. All eras re-scored: Family Meatpacker D9 4->3 (no documented labor events), Corruption Exposed D8 8->7 and D7 3->2, Pandemic D1 5->4, Batista Return D2 8->7, D4 5->4 (no era-specific lock-in events; the Riverside and Souderton closures fall in the current era), D6 4->5. Updated timeline[60]: the June 4, 2026 wage-settlement hearing was pushed back; re-dated and re-sourced.
Periodic rescore: reviewed, no score change. DOJ antitrust probe escalated to criminal (Apr-May 2026) but D8 already 9 (active investigation) and D10 already 8; criminal probe without charges/guilty finding does not reach 10. Historic 3-week Greeley strike (Mar-Apr 2026) revealed JBS charging workers for PPE and garnishing wages, but JBS conceded and workers won concessions — D9 stays 9. Added 6 timeline events, 4 evidence items (criminal probe, strike outcome, Greenpeace Dutch climate suit, $200.2M wage-suppression settlement final approval).
Fixed 1 evidence URL: D1 antibiotics evidence pointed to country-of-origin labeling article instead of antibiotics article. Replaced with correct Sentient Media source. All dimension summary claims verified accurate.